Turkey talk

A heritage turkey...so magnificent! / Rodale Institute

This year, it seems Thanksgiving cooks aren’t as concerned with how to prepare their turkey than with ensuring its top-notch pedigree.   They shop at Whole Foods, seek “organic” and “free-range” labels, shun Butterball, and might even order a “Heritage Turkey” – so named because they are the same wild breeds the Pilgrims ate.

The LA Times commented on these upscale birds in an article today, quoting various turkey sellers:

“Customers are much more into food now than they were a few years ago because of food magazines and TV shows,” said Theo Weening, global meat coordinator for Whole Foods. “People want to know where the bird comes from, what breed it is, how it’s been raised.”

In my opinion, the current “food trend” has been influenced by much more than magazines and TV, although those venues may be two of the most visible.  So many elements of our culture and daily lives seem to scream “Food is important and you gotta care!”  (Some of this is misplaced, I believe, but that’s a topic for another day.)  

I, too, am interested in my turkey’s provenance, breed, and upbringing.  Here’s what I know:

My turkey…

• is from Mary’s Turkeys, owned and operated by the Pitman family since 1954
• bears the slogan: “Free range – taste the difference!”
• comes from the Central Valley, where the farm has “areas four times the size of the average commercial turkey ranch.”  (To relieve stress. For the turkeys, not the farmers.)
• was fed on a vegetarian, high-protein diet of healthful grains
• contains no antibiotics, animal by-products, hormones, preservatives or additives.
• is organic
• boasts “Complete Traceability to Farm,” according to the package
• cost about $40 from Whole Foods (Let’s not forget that some Thanksgiving cooks don’t have the means to splurge.  Shopping organic and free range – not to mention “heritage” – simply isn’t an option for many. And is Butterball really all that bad?)

Does all this mean my turkey will taste better?  We’ll see tomorrow…  but I’m guessing it will.  (And the apple sage brine should be a lovely addition.)  Certainly, the part of my conscience that cares about humanely-treated poultry will be satisfied. 

*Update: 11/24/11, 6:15 pm

And here it is!

My organic, free-range, 10 lbs Mary's Turkey / Daina Beth Solomon

{Lotus Kitchen} Cooking with Campbell’s

Turkey Tetrazzini

I admit it – I cook with Campbell’s soup!   Are you a foodie-friend shooting me a withering look of disdain?  Pity?  Whatever.   Some of us can’t cook Julia Child every night.  And yes, some of the dishes from “Treasury of Campbell’s Recipes,” a cookbook of my mom’s from the early ’90s, have names like “Easy Chicken Paprikash” as if “easy” were a flavor.  Not to mention “Shortcut Tuna Lasagna” and “Foolproof Beef and Broccoli” and “Everyday Broccoli Cheese Chicken.”  But last night, I made “Turkey Tetrazzini.”  A nice, moderately sophisticated name that doesn’t even have “casserole” in it – although that’s just what it is.

A word on casseroles wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the essential reading – MFK Fisher’s “Neither Censure Nor Disdain.”  The essay appeared in the fabulous anthology “Secret Recipes: The New Yorker Book of Food and Drink.”  Fisher begins her contemplation of this most common American dish as such: 

Yet, the “Turkey Tetrazzini” was created in America.  San Francisco, in fact, in the early 1900s.  Apparently, it was named after Luisa Tetrazzini, an Italian opera star.  (When I say “apparently,” I mean according to Wikipedia.)  I guess the name stuck.  Suits me – a quarter of my family is Italian and I like to believe us Italians have made big and lasting contributions to this country.

The key ingredients are Campbell’s condensed Cream of Mushroom soup and turkey leftovers – perfect for the season, right?   You mix that with milk, Parmesan cheese, onion, sour cream and zucchini (but I substituted eggplant from a local Japanese market).  Then add cooked spaghetti, spoon it all into a Pyrex dish and stick it in the oven for half and hour.  It was delicious – a total comfort food made elegant with cilantro garnish.

I am reminded that casseroles need not stand for mediocrity.  How can they, when “casseroles are here to stay for a long time,” as Fisher suggests?  She writes:

* * * 

Consider this the first in a series about the food I cook called “Lotus Kitchen.”  Be warned: there just may be more Campbell’s.